One type of conventional truss which is used for supporting building floor structures, roof decks and the like is formed with a pair of parallel wooden chords, such as 2.times.4 or 2.times.3 wood members, arranged one above the other, and interconnected by diagonally arranged webs or struts made of wood or sheet metal. The webs are fastened at their opposite ends to the respective chords by means of nailing or by overlapping them with so-called connector plates, which are flat plates with struck-out teeth extending through holes in the web ends for being embedded within the wooden chords. Such types of trusses are normally manufactured in a factory and transported to a construction site for installation as part of a building.
It is known in the art of truss design and construction to use V-shaped metal webs of the type shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,352 and U.S. Pat. No. Re. 31,807. In this type of web, the connector plates are integrally formed with the web legs, which increases the strength of the truss and reduces handling and assembly of separate components.
It is also known in the art of truss design and construction to provide a truss with trimmable ends, whereby the length of the truss is adjustable at the job site. A truss with trimmable ends is described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,800. Typically, at least four wooden support posts are used to support the truss, one near each end and two near the center of the truss. Four metal connector plates are usually required to connect each post to the chords. Further, grooves must be cut in the two end support posts to accommodate respective flat wooden sheets, which define the respective trimmable ends of the truss. The four support posts and sixteen metal connector plates associated therewith, and their assembly, substantially increase the cost of fabricating the truss, both in terms of material and labor.
There is, therefore a need, for an improved adjustable length truss and in particular, there is a need for adjustable length truss which can be fabricated at a lower cost than prior art adjustable length trusses.